Melaka is a tiny little state 2 hours away from the glitzy city of Kuala Lumpur. Melaka is very much part of Penisula Malaysia but with a unique twist in its history.
Melaka is called the Historical City of Malaysia for a reason; Melaka is a city marred with many colonisations,in fact Melaka is the only state in Malaysia that had been colonised by more than one colonial masters from the Portugese to the Japanese in the World War 2 in 1945.
Melaka is a city stuck in its past; with many legacies of colonisation still visible, almost in every part of this town, it’s as if this town is still reeling from its colonial days. It is as if Melaka hardly moved on from its colourful past; while this is my third time in this city, it has not change one bit. I can walk through the town retracing places that i used to visit in my last trips and glad to learn that it’s still there, intact, only now it’s rundown and begins to show sign of heavy use.
Melaka can qualify as a country on its own if you may. Melaka is so exhilaratingly different that it does not seem like it belongs to Malaysia. Melaka is a true melting pot where you see people from different races comes together mingling over a meal. And speaking of meal, there are tonnes of cuisines to be had in this tiny little place.
Melaka is famous for its foods. One cannot leave Melaka without sampling its wondrous foods.
5 foods you must eat or you will leave with regrets.
1. Peranakan food
Pictures alone cannot explain how exquisite and yummified i was by these humble looking dishes. That is the beauty of Melaka cuisines, any cuisines for that matter. Little attention is placed on presentation but once you put these devils into your mouth, you will experience the mind blowing explosions in your mouth.
2. Cendol
If you have tried Penang cendol and any other cendols that claimed to be the best cendol around, get it out of your head. This is the best cendol in town and anywhere else for that matter. There is no other cendols that can beat this cendol for now.
3. Chicken Rice Balls
4. Portugese Food
5. Dim Sum
This is no ordinary Dim Sum place, I tell you. This place opens at 6am until late morning (11-ish) and then they are done for the day. Mind you, this is crazy crowd here. We are here at 7am but we are already falling back at the end of the queue. There were at least 20 people in front of us and we were told that they have been queueing since 6ish. WOW!
This dim sum place is sandwiched between row of shophouses; old shophouses for that matter. It is unmarked, but you can find a tiny weeny sign in chinese (ps: provided you read chinese, otherwise this tiny sign may not help give you your bearing) so you gotta ask around or follow where the queues are, and you are safe.
Word of caution: Everywhere you go to eat in Melaka, you have to queue. And, be prepared to queue for at least 1 hour or more. If you are lucky, you may get a spot within 20mins. The worst than can happen is when you were told at the end of your two-hour queue that “we’re sold out today”. So, go early, bring a brollies, a book or snack or whatever works for you and be ready to queue up. Queueing in Melaka is a marathon of perseverance and willpower.
Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
The Accidental Drama Qween 